Never doubt that a small group of foolish citizens that should be committed can screw it up for the rest of us.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Casino Regulatory Planning By State

The following article appeared in The Boston Herald. I guess the state considers it "inevitable."

Casino gambling in the Bay State is moving closer to reality.

Senate President Therese Murray told business leaders yesterday that lawmakers are working with state Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office to craft casino regulations that would be ready by the time expanded gambling is approved on Beacon Hill.

“We want to have a regulatory structure in place before a bill comes out,” she said. “I’m told that gambling brings certain types of crime, such as money laundering and gang activity. We want to make sure that we have the regulatory authority to oversee whatever comes out of the Legislature.”

In April, Murray said that she, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Deval Patrick had agreed to support expanded gambling legislation this fall.

Murray acknowledged that the discussions are under way despite the fact that Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut laid off 67 employees this week and slot revenues are off.

“There’s still up to $900 million going out of the state to Connecticut and Rhode Island gambling facilities, and we’d like to capture that,” she said.

With consumers spending less money on gambling amid the economic downturn, Connecticut’s Division of Special Revenue reported that slot revenues at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun have fallen by 7.5 percent to $736.4 million for the first six months of 2009 compared to $796 million for the same period last year.

Still, a recent study of gambling in Connecticut found that Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun have contributed nearly $5 billion to the state and municipal governments since 1992.

Last year, Massachusetts residents accounted for 31 percent of the patrons at Foxwoods and 17 percent at Mohegan Sun, according to the Center for Policy Analysis at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

Maura Healey

Super Hack

Hack Hall Of Fame

The AG has just come out looking for a target after The Boston Herald "outed" Healey on her track record of travel expenses. So exactly what did this "hack" do to instill such ire in Bogo? Draft kings!

Draft Kings is an online gaming site that is used for sports fantasy players and fantasy sports is a huge business. Fantasy is also gaming since your success depends on an unknown outcome.

The hobgoblin of liberalism is hypocrisy. Not sure of the pundit who should get credit, but, alas, I am too lazy to look it up. And Healey is an up in lights liberal.

This state has a lottery and is now the birth place of one casino with many more in the waiting room. I can gamble illegally whenever I want since bookmakers are as common as ticks. But to this hack the target is now fantasy sports? LMAO!

For a note on this issue I do not play in any fantasy leagues of any kind. Never have and never will. I wonder in Healey does? Maybe a deeper check into her expense reports will tell.

director of the Bureau of Environmental Health

director of the Bureau of Environmental Health

director of the Bureau of Environmental Health

Your Government Hard At Work

Deval Patrick just lingers on like a migraine headache.

Now it appears his administration had some type of off the grid slush fund that was funded by various departments via creative accounting. Most of the cash was used for travel expenses and other incidentals that the payroll patriots could scrounge.

This, I imagine, will constitute his legacy.

Patrick also was on the take for $7,500 a day from an Olympic Committee formulated to proselytize for this next Big Dig. When Patrick was "outed" that was the end of that cushy gig.